UFC 276: Israel Adesanya defends middleweight title with points win over Jared Cannonier
- Sean Fisher
- 3 July 2022
Israel Adesanya extended his UFC record to 23-1 on Saturday night, while Alexander Volkanovski also defended his title with a one-sided points win over featherweight opponent Max Holloway.
UFC 276 saw two champions defend their titles with dominant points victories in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
New Zealand's Israel Adesanya faced America's Jared Cannonier in a five-round bout in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena, and 'The Last Stylebender' put on a masterful display to seal a points decision, with the judges scoring the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45.
Adesanya was able to fully utilise his superior height and reach against Cannonier, with the middleweight champion towering four inches over his 6-foot opponent.
Vicious jabs from range and the occasional leg kick slowed Cannonier's approach, as Adesanya strategically picked off his opponent in the octagon.
Having now retained his 185lb title for a fifth time, Adesanya was quick to call out a new opponent, with the 32-year-old targetting Brazil's Alex Pereira.
Here. He. Comes. ☠️
— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2022
[ @Stylebender | #UFC276 ] pic.twitter.com/Bv54ObOkyr
"We know who's next," Adesanya said in his post-fight interview. "Next time I put you on skates, you're going to get frozen like Elsa."
Pereira knocked out Sean Strickland on the undercard of Saturday's event, and the Brazilian holds two kickboxing wins over Adesanya in 2016 and 2017.
With the duo sharing history, it's bound to be another blockbuster middleweight clash in the UFC.
In the co-feature, Volkanovski outclassed Holloway in their trilogy fight to retain his featherweight crown. The Australian won a 50-45 shutout on all three cards for his third win over Holloway.
Volkanovski continues his reign and racks up another win 😤 #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/Ez0MFagR94
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 3, 2022
Having now dominated the featherweight division, Volkanovski explained his plans to step up to lightweight in future plans, as he attempts to become a two-weight world champion.
"I want to be in this octagon as much as possible. I want to be busy," said Volkanovski.
"I don't think this division itself can keep me busy. I want to move up, go for double champ and I'll keep two divisions busy."
